Several people have contacted me about my experience with Tophat Classics, so I thought I would post a review of the entire experience. As with most of you, the Defender has been my dream car since I was a kid. We took one on safari in Kenya when I was young, and then I did not see one again until 1993 when they started marketing that they were importing them to the US. I bought a D90 off the showroom floor in 1994 (sold 3 year later) and then bought another 1994 D90 off eBay about 6 year ago (also sold). I stumbled on an Arkonik ad and started pricing out the car I wanted since I was a kid (a 4-door safari machine). I didn't opt for all the bells and whistles because I wanted to own this long-term, so I went manual windows, gearbox, etc. I was shocked to see the price, so I figured I was going to have to find another fixer-upper on eBay like my second D90. That is when I found Tophat's eBay ad and started communicating with them via email. Carel directed me to their website and Facebook page, and I started pricing out my vehicle. I was shocked to find that the same vehicle I priced out at Arkonik was about 30% less. Knowing exactly what I wanted, Carel and I started fine tuning options (color, accessories, etc). Once I felt like he knew exactly what I wanted, we signed the contract and I put down a deposit (May 2015). It took about a month for him to find the base vehicle, but it was worth it! He found a 1985 fire truck with 7,306 original miles! Over the next several months, I received pictures of the build and made a second deposit. In January, the car came out of customs and arrived in Scotttsdale. The mechanics had put in the original 4-speed manual transmission and the contract listed a 5-speed, so Tophat shipped the replacement to Scottsdale and they swapped it out. This all happened without me inspecting the car, so that shows you the fine character of the people running this operation. I flew down to Arizona from Portland, Oregon to give the car the longest test drive ever. We had a small leak in the gas tank at the fuel sensor, but they were able to slow it enough to get it on the road. I am a CPA, so I needed to be able to drive it home that day or wait until after April 15th. The drive was long, and we had sun, rain and finally snow but the car handled great. By the time we got to Portland, it was in need of a tune up (and to fix the gas leak), but all was minor and Tophat covered the cost. I can't tell you how many compliments I get on my car and offers to buy it. I honestly couldn't be happier. Here is a link to the time-lapse of the build they sent me:

I finally had a chance to test my Tophat Defender's off-road capabilities. We camped up by Mt Hood, Oregon and traversed 30 miles of gravel roads with crater-sized potholes, mud bogs and of course...snow. I couldn't be happier with how she handled. We tried to reach one of the higher elevation lakes, but the snow was even too much for 4-Low. I don't feel so bad because there were some aggressively lifted Dodge trucks and a rock-crawling Jeep that couldn't make it either.

I'm still researching rooftop tents, but did purchase a Fox-Wing awning (with 4 sidewalls), which was a great purchase. We pitched a tent under the awning and attached the sun shower to the rear ladder.

Thanks guys! Here is a question for the group: When you are outfitting your rig, do you consider footprint when all your gear is deployed? The reason I was looking for a rooftop tent is that I won't always be on a wide open beach or in an open meadow where I can spread out my gear. It took time to wedge the 110 into that spot just so I could deploy the Fox-Wing. I enjoy comfort as much as the next guy, but also want the flexibility to pull off the road without having to look for a Costco parking lot sized campsite.

I don't have any experience with Oz tents, but they look pretty great. They're fast and big enough for a cot and nice bedding. I can see why people like them, but they're not for me. My footprint consideration comes down to terrain. Here in Colorado, space isn't usually the limiting factor, but finding flat, level, and smooth ground is harder. These are the Rocky Mountains for a reason. A RTT just requires some blocks for the wheels to get the truck level, and then the rest is on the roof rack. I think that's the biggest benefit for a RTT over ground.

Nice truck. A few friends have the OZ tent and I have a RTT. Overall footprint of a RTT is smaller due to the fact it is on top of thru truck. I much prefer the RTT to be off the ground away from crawling insects and wet ground. I can set mine up in less than 5 minutes and don't have to wrestle with cots or inflatable mattresses, stuffing the sleeping bags, etc. With a RTT, you can leave the sleeping bags and pillows inside the tent and simply close it up as it should have enough room to compress it all. Makes setting up and take-down much easier. The OZ tent is very long and you must have space on your rack to store it and the cots/mattresses. Downside to the RTT is weight up high and the space it takes up on the rack, but it opens up more space inside the vehicle. It saves me a lot time from my ground tent days and I will never go back. I am looking forward to outfitting my 1990 Santana when it gets to the states. I have used my RTT on my range rover and LR3. Contemplating 2 RTTs on the front runner rack!

I have a Tuff Stuff RTT as I got a deal I couldn't refuse at King of the Hammers 1.5 years ago at their booth. It comes with the awning and free shipping from their website. I also have the ladder extension due to the height of the LR3 and Range rover

Just thought I would post my experience thus far with The Landrovers dealer out of the Netherlands. I have a 1996 300tdi Defender 90 being prepared to ship by Peter and Daniel at The Landrovers. I know I may have committed the biggest error by buying a vehicle unseen, but I decided after doing a bunch of research and speaking with them over the phone a few times I would take a leap of faith. So far the experience has been quite positive. I spoke with a few people who have had dealings with them and all had pretty good things to say. I wrote a couple emails to Uncle Douglas and I dont want to say he endorsed them, but he did tell me he had smooth dealings with them and has mentioned this on the forum. I know this is no guarantee and at the end of the day its my money on the line. That being said, Im not dropping a huge load of cash on the vehicle. Its pretty much as is with a few interior upgrades to spruce things up and a 2 inch lift. Michael from Riverhouse Mini in Netherlands has agreed to go check out the rig before it ships for a little peace of mind. thanks to Uncle Doug for suggesting I ask Michael. I guess thats it for now. It will be in a container and shipped on June 24th so for now its just a waiting game.
Ryan

Lucky for you CA (Canada) only has a 15 year ban, so you can still get the cheap ones.

You want to talk to someone who has done it or someone that will help you do it?

Both really. Keen to speak to those that have done it themselves, and recommends on agents to help. Seems that are some decent deals on 2000-2002 110-130's in France and Europe generally, but a bit daunted by the prospect of doing these kinds of deals remotely. Have previously across canada and the us successfully, but quite a bit easier fame.

Any help appreciated. A complete noob to this site and defenders generally, so apols in advance if there are known threads on this I'm missing.

@krnlane. I just went through the process myself. I am also in Canada and it was a pretty smooth process. I got my D90 from the Landrovers out of Netherlands. They got it from Spain. I am very happy with it. It isn't perfect, but I knew that going into it. I had loads of questions and got great answers and advice from a few sources. I did the importing myself and it wasn't hard. Just have to make sure you have all the documents. I am a member of OVLR and that group is a fantastic bunch of people who helped a ton.

I have been operating my rebuilt 110 for 6 months since its importation from the Netherlands. No blistering paint and it switches on overtime I turn the key. She has a few issues but the group who did the work has reimbursed me for repairs since its arrival. A few hiccups during importation but overall a good experience. If I did it again I would recommend doing all your upgrades and installing options once it is imported onto this side of the pond. Good vehicles can be had through reputable shops.